On Monday, August 13, the Phi Beta Kappa Society announced the short list for the annual book award, which recognizes outstanding scholarly books published in the United States in the fields of the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences and mathematics.
Phi Beta Kappa was founded by five students at the College of William & Mary in 1776. Their belief was that the new nation they hoped to build would need new intellectual institutions to that would reflect the principles of that nation–intellectual freedom, freedom of speech, and creativity. Though the society was initially a secret one, which the founders believed would keep them safe from political persecution, Phi Beta Kappa is now a nationally- and internationally-recognized institution with Today there are 286 chapters at American colleges and universities and 50 active alumni associations located in all regions of the country.
As per their website, Phi Beta Kappa’s name originated from the motto “Love of learning is the guide of life,” a phrase the founders derived from the Greek Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης. The three Greek letters ΦΒΚ are inscribed on the signature gold key that is today a nationally recognized credential signifying academic achievement.
The Phi Beta Kappa book awards are intended to recognize not only books that help us learn, but that do so in a way that is interesting, accessible, and effective. As a result, non-fiction lovers will find plenty of books among these nominees to whet their literary palate! There are three awards, each of which has their own short list. The winning authors will be honored at a gala dinner on December 7th, 2018 in Washington, DC, at The Carnegie Institution for Science. A description of the awards and their nominees are below. Tune in for updates, as the award winners will be announced on October 1, 2018.
The Christian Gauss Award: Recognizes books in the field of literary scholarship or criticism. The nominees are:
- At Home in the World, by Maria DiBattista and Deborah Epstein Nord
- Elizabeth Bishop: A Miracle for Breakfast, by Megan Marshall
- Henry David Thoreau: A Life, by Laura Dassow Walls
- Literary Criticism: A Concise Political History, by Joseph North (Please speak with a member of staff to access this title)
- The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story, by Edwidge Danticat
The Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science: Honors outstanding contributions by scientists to the literature of science, encouraging literate and scholarly interpretations of the physical and biological sciences and mathematics. The nominees are:
- A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution, by Jennifer A. Doudna
- Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst, by Robert Sapolsky
- Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution, by Jonathan Losos
- Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone, by Juli Berwald
- Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams, by Matthew Walker
The Ralph Waldo Emerson Award: Recognizes works from scholarly studies that contribute significantly to interpretations of the intellectual and cultural condition of humanity, including works in the fields of history, philosophy and religion as well as such fields as anthropology and the social sciences. The nominees are:
- Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898 to 1919, by Mike Wallace
- Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, by Caroline Fraser
- Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia, by Steven Stoll
- The Blood of Emmett Till, by Timothy B. Tyson
- The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship that Shaped Modern Thought, by Dennis C. Rasmussen
A huge Free-For-All congratulations to all the short listed works and their creators!